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Modern Family – Restaurant Scene

Modern Family (2009 – 2020) is a U.S. TV series that follows the lives of three connected families. This scene is from the nineteenth episode of Season 4: “The Future Dunphys” and originally aired on April 3, 2013. In this clip, we can see Mitch, Cam, and their daughter Lily having dinner with Gloria at a Vietnamese restaurant. Mitch and Cam are a married gay couple that adopted Lily from Vietnam when she was a baby. Gloria is an immigrant from Colombia and married to Mitch’s father, Jay. They take Lily to the restaurant so she can feel closer and get to know more about her culture. While they are there, Lily shows no interest in the Vietnamese culture, and Gloria tries to convince her that it is important to give value to where she came from. While the five characters talk with each other, they end up saying offensive things to other people at the restaurant.

discussion

What are the two main situations happening in this scene?

We can see Lily is having a problem with her identity. Why do you think that is? 

What is funny about the scene? Why do Cam and Mitch decide to leave the restaurant at the end?

Do you think it is important for people to maintain a close relationship with the culture of the country in which they or their biological parents were born, even if they have lived their whole life in another country?

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